How to Make Calls Go Directly to Voicemail on Android

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Have calls transferred to your voicemail anytime without any interruptions

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: September 4, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Using Airplane Mode
|
• Using Do Not Disturb
|
• Using Call Forwarding
|
• Sending One Contact Automatically to Voicemail
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• Sending a Phone Number Automatically to Voicemail
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• Video
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• Tips

|Show more |Show less

This wikiHow article teaches you how to send incoming phone calls to voicemail on your Android automatically. Use call forwarding if you need a long-term solution, or use airplane mode for shorter periods. Do Not Disturb and individually setting calls to go to voicemail are also options for you.

Quick Guide: Sending All Android Calls to Voicemail

• To temporarily send all calls to voicemail, turn on airplane mode.
• For a more long-term solution, set up call forwarding to route all calls to voicemail automatically.
• You can also automatically send all calls from a specific contact or phone number to voicemail without affecting other callers.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using Airplane Mode

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1. 1
   Pull down the notification bar. It's the bar with the clock and various icons at the top of the screen. A list of icons will appear.
2. 2
   Tap Airplane mode. It's the airplane icon with a line through it. As long as Airplane Mode is enabled, all calls are automatically sent to voicemail.

   • If you don't see Airplane mode, swipe down on the icons to expand more.
   • Tap Airplane mode again to resume incoming calls.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using Do Not Disturb

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1. 1
   Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the DND icon. It looks like a circle with a line through it.

   • If you use Do Not Disturb (DND), calls will still ring through to your phone, but you won't be notified by sound or vibration. Instead, callers will hear the call ring and be forwarded to your voicemail after the normal ring time.
   • If you don't see the icon in your Quick Settings panel, you might have to add it. To do that, swipe two times to expand the Quick Settings panel, then tap the pencil (edit) icon. Tap to edit the top row or the full panel, then tap to add the DND icon to the screen. You can drag and drop it in the menu to move it to another position.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using Call Forwarding

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1. 1
   Open the Phone app. Use this method to send all your callers to voicemail automatically. Setting up Call Forwarding works best for long-term use instead of toggling Airplane Mode on and off since you can still use your phone to text.

   • If you're dealing with scam or unknown number calls, you can also block unknown numbers or block scam likely calls.
2. 2
   Tap the menu icon. It's usually at the top-right corner of the app. Look for ⁝, ⋯, or ≡ (the look varies by phone).
3. 3
   Tap Settings.
4. 4
   Tap Calling accounts. This menu may say "Supplementary services" instead. If you don't see this option, explore the menus until you find “Call forwarding.”
5. 5
   Tap the name of your service provider. If you don't see this option, skip this step.
6. 6
   Tap Call forwarding. A list of forwarding options will appear.
7. 7
   Tap Always forward.
8. 8
   Enter the direct number to your voicemail. The number varies by service provider. If you're not sure what it is, check your documentation or speak to their customer service team.

   • You can also get your voicemail number by going to Phone > ⋮ > Settings > Voicemail > Voicemail number.
9. 9
   Tap TURN ON or ENABLE. Incoming calls are now directly routed to voicemail.

   • To disable this feature, return to Always forward and select TURN OFF or DISABLE.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Sending One Contact Automatically to Voicemail

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1. 1
   Open Contacts. You can do this using your default Contacts app, whether that's Google Contacts or not.

   • Use this method if you don't want to receive calls from a specific contact. You can repeat this process to send multiple contacts directly to voicemail, but they have to be listed in your contacts.
2. 2
   Tap a contact you want to block. Their information will appear on another page.
3. 3
   Tap ⋮. You'll see this three-dot menu icon in the lower right corner.
4. 4
   Tap Block contact. Whenever this contact calls you, they will be automatically forwarded to your voicemail. You won't be notified when they call, but will only see if they left a message.
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Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Sending a Phone Number Automatically to Voicemail

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1. 1
   Open the Phone app. Use this method to block a phone number that isn't in your contacts. You can repeat these steps multiple times to block more than one number at a time.

   • You can do this on many phone dialer apps, including your default for Samsung or Google's voice dialer.
2. 2
   Tap ⋮. It's on the right side of your screen, near the middle or top, depending on what screen you're looking at: Keypad, Recents, or Contacts.
3. 3
   Tap Settings. It's near the bottom of the menu that drops down.
4. 4
   Tap Block numbers. This will bring you to another page where you can see already blocked numbers and add new ones.
5. 5
   Add a number to block. If you know the number or have it copied in your clipboard, tap the empty field and paste or enter the number. If you don't know the number, tap Recents, Messages, or Contacts to add the number from these places.

   • Tap a number to select it from the list, then tap Done.
   • You can also tap the toggle to block calls from unknown numbers.
   • These numbers will go directly to voicemail, and you won't get notifications when they call unless they leave a message in your voicemail.
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Video

Tips

• For Google phones, like the Pixel, you can set Route to voicemail to have a specific contact go directly to voicemail.
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• If you want a specific contact or number to go directly to voicemail, block them.
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